or


[02/24/09 - 06:38 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, February 24
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:

Looking to keep track of all the various projects in development? Click here to visit our signature "Devwatch" section. There visitors can view our listings by network, genre, studio and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!


AB FAB (FOX) - Zosia Mamet and Toni Trucks have been cast in the final principal roles on the comedy pilot, about neurotic fashion publicist Eddie (Kathryn Hahn) and her best friend Patsy (Kristen Johnson), an outrageous fashion editor. Mamet will play Saffron, Eddie's sensible teen daughter who's driven crazy by the duo. Trucks will play Novelette, Eddie's newly hired assistant. Christine Zander is behind the project, which is based at Sony Pictures Television.


THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE (The CW) - The netlet has handed a pilot order to the project, a drama about the lives of a group of young models of varying levels of success living together in a "models co-ed residence" in New York City. Adam Giaudrone is behind the hour, which is set up at the CBS Paramount Network Television-based Katalyst Films. Ashton Kutcher, Carol Barbee, Jason Goldberg, Karey Burke and the newly added Mike Kelley are the executive producers.


MASTERWORK (FOX) - Feature helmer Jeffrey Nachmanoff ("Traitor") has signed on to direct the drama pilot, a thriller about a race against time to recover the world's most sought-after artifacts. Paul T. Scheuring created the hour, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television.


MELROSE PLACE (The CW) - Davis Guggenheim ("3 lbs.") has been tapped to direct the netlet's "Melrose" revival, which formally received a pilot order this week. Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin penned the script to the project, about a group of twentysomethings living in the trendy Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles, which is set up at CBS Paramount Network Television.


NCIS (CBS) - LL Cool J has closed his deal to star in the proposed "NCIS" spin-off, which will air as a two-parter on the parent series later this season. He'll play Special Agent Sam Hanna, a former Navy SEAL who works in the undercover unit of NCIS in Los Angeles. "NCIS" showrunner Shane Brennan penned said installments, to be directed by Tony Wharmby. CBS Paramount Network Television is producing.


INSIDE THE BOX (ABC) - Jason George ("Eli Stone") and Sarah Drew ("Everwood") are the latest additions to the drama pilot, about an ambitious female news producer and her colleagues at a Washington network news bureau. George will play an on-camera correspondent with Drew as a new peon at the network. Richard E. Robbins penned the Shonda Rhimes-produced/ABC Studios-based hour, which Mark Tinker is directing.


MERCY (NBC) - Diego Klattenhoff ("Men in Trees") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about three nurses who bond through the ups and downs of their professional and personal lives. He's set as a contractor and blue-collar worker who is married to one of the nurses. Elizabeth Heldens penned the pilot script to the Universal Media Studios-based project, which Adam Bernstein is attached to direct.


PRYORS (A.K.A. UNTITLED KELSEY GRAMMER PROJECT) (ABC) - The Kelsey Grammer-led comedy is now reportedly running under the title "Pryors." Grammer stars as a hotshot Wall Street executive who loses his job and is forced to move back with his wife and kids to his hometown and reconnect with his family. Tucker Cawley penned the pilot script and is executive producing alongside Good Humor Television's Tom Werner and Mike Clements for Warner Bros. Television.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [february 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 3 LBS. (CBS)
· ABFAB (FOX)
· BEAUTIFUL LIFE, THE (CW)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ELI STONE (ABC)
· EVERWOOD (WB)
· HANK (ABC)
· INSIDE THE BOX (ABC)
· MASTERWORK (FOX)
· MELROSE PLACE (CW)
· MEN IN TREES (ABC)
· MERCY (NBC)
· NCIS (CBS)
· NCIS: LOS ANGELES (CBS)





[02/11/26 - 02:34 PM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - "Watching You" Season 1 (ITV Studios)
The Australian series premieres February 20, 2026 on Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S.

[02/11/26 - 01:46 PM]
"Puppy Bowl XXII" Reaches 15.3 Million Viewers on Sunday, February 8, Delivering Highest Audience in Eight Years
The programming event ranked as the #1 non-sports cable telecast of the day among key adult demos and achieved a 20% year-over-year increase in reach, marking its strongest performance since 2018.

[02/11/26 - 12:07 PM]
Culture's Biggest Week Dates Announced! BET Awards Set for June 28 & BETX Returns to Los Angeles June 25-27
For 25 years, the BET Awards has recognized the artists, creators, and leaders shaping culture in real time, delivering iconic performances, unforgettable tributes, and moments that resonate far beyond the stage.

[02/11/26 - 11:15 AM]
Post-Olympics "Tonight Show" Telecast Attracts Most Viewers Since November 2024
The February 6 post-Olympics telecast of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" drew 2.4 million viewers.

[02/11/26 - 09:33 AM]
Video: Trailer Debut - "Scrubs" Season One Premiering February 25th
With the show picking up in modern day, the series reunites the original cast for more heartwarming laughs and hijinks while introducing a new generation of interns.

[02/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Rental Family" - Trailer - Hulu
The Brendan Fraser-led film streams on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ February 18.

[02/11/26 - 09:00 AM]
Meet the Three New Farmers Ready to Cultivate Real Connections as "Farmer Wants a Wife" Returns Tuesday, April 21 at 8/7c on FOX
Hosted once again by Kimberly Williams-Paisley, season four strips the experience down to the roots, focusing on fewer farmers and deeper connections as a new group of single women leave behind city comforts for muddy boots, early mornings and the promise of forever.

[02/11/26 - 09:00 AM]
Raj Kapoor, Sarah Levine Hall and Jack Sussman to Produce "The 79th Annual Tony Awards"
Kapoor, whose live event work has earned him multiple Emmy Awards, joins the celebratory event for the first time, while Emmy winner Levine Hall and Sussman have a long history contributing to the success of Broadway's biggest night.

[02/11/26 - 08:31 AM]
Netflix's "XO, Kitty" Season 3 - First Look, Date Announcement & Synopsis Debut
The new season of the spin-off series returns to Netflix on Thursday, April 2, 2026.

[02/11/26 - 08:07 AM]
ID's "Hunt for the Missing: Chicago" Looks to Find Answers to Some of the City's Most Haunting Unsolved Cases
Following Retired Chicago Detective Pamela Childs, a fearless and unflinching investigator whose mission is to not let cold cases go forgotten, the series explores some of the city's most haunting unsolved missing persons cases.

[02/11/26 - 08:06 AM]
BritBox Announces March 18th Premiere for "The Lady"
The four-part drama series captures the rise and fall of former royal aide Jane Andrews, and stars Mia McKenna-Bruce as Andrews, Natalie Dormer as Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and Ed Speleers as Thomas Cressman.

[02/11/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Vladimir" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When an English professor becomes obsessed with a handsome new colleague, her already complicated marriage and career are thrown into total chaos.

[02/11/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Debuts Official Key Art and Trailer for "Scarpetta," Based on Patricia Cornwell's Bestselling Novels, Premiering March 11
With over 120 million copies sold worldwide since the character's debut in 1990, this adaptation marks the culmination of decades of anticipation as the beloved forensic pathologist finally comes to the screen.

[02/11/26 - 06:00 AM]
The "Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide: Concert Special" Is Coming to Disney+ and Disney Channel
The special will premiere February 19 on Disney Channel and will be available to stream the next day on Disney+.

[02/11/26 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere" - Official Teaser - Netflix
With rare access and no holds barred, the acclaimed documentarian investigates a growing ultra-masculine network and its controversial influencers.